US political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker have been denied entry to the United Kingdom, with British authorities citing their public criticism of Israel as the reason. Uygur, co-founder of The Young Turks, was stopped while boarding a flight to London for the SXSW festival and a speech at Oxford University.

In a series of posts on X, Uygur wrote that UK officials deemed him “a serious risk to public order” due to his criticism of Israel. He claimed his factual statements about Israel’s influence on the US government were labeled antisemitic. “They broke the irony record,” he wrote, calling the situation “Kafkaesque.”

Piker, Uygur’s nephew and a prominent political streamer, later revealed that his UK visa had also been revoked as he prepared to travel to the same event. He stated the decision was linked to his criticism of Israel, saying, “It’s a sad state of affairs where obviously the interests of Israel take highest priority.”

The Times reported that UK officials said Uygur’s presence was not “conducive to the public good.” The ban follows a similar decision earlier this year barring rapper Kanye West from the UK due to his history of antisemitic remarks.

Both commentators accused the UK government of hypocrisy, with Uygur questioning whether the authorities would ban themselves for criticizing Israel. The incident has sparked debate over free speech and the influence of pro-Israel lobbying in the UK.

Source: www.aljazeera.com